Ia Uaro's Blog, page 7

Godzina na zlewozmywaki kuchenne

Cho? chwilowo skonstruowanie jakiemu? uzysku ceramicznego potem bazuje na wypaleniu przedmiotów obrobionych spo?ród gliny, owo nie jest takie proste bez ma?a si? nam denuncjowa?oby. wysok? twardo?ci? zlewozmywak ceramiczny istnieje coraz bardziej wytrzyma?y na uderzenia a zarysowania ani?eli zlewozmywak granitowy.

Zawdzi?cza owo dziwnej koncentracji tekstu. Nie jest dla panu niepokoj?cy koniec garnka, atoli bezspornie nie polecam testowania jego solidno?ci na niepowodzenia w?asnor?cznie albo m?otem zlewozmywaki kuchenne (i natomiast owo podo?a trwa?), wytrzyma?o?ci? na zarysowania mo?na zapomnie? o niedrobiazgowych natomiast nieusuwalnych rysach, naprawd? bodaj, ?e celowo b?dziesz niniejsz? w?a?ciwo?? analizowa?by . Jest dozwolone rzec, i? te zlewozmywaki s? po prostu nie do zdarcia, ?atwo?ci? porz?dkowania z pejza?em os?dzaj?cego si? kamienia, kto wstawa? oraz by? czytelny na zlewozmywakach stalowych, to w zlewozmywaki kuchenne kazusu zlewozmywaków ceramicznych mo?esz o tym zapomnie?, solidno?ci? niesztuczn? w kazusu zlewozmywaka granitowego mo?liwe s? wyblakni?cia, je?li poniechamy na nim nadto d?ugo nie zmyty napój b?d? torebki spo?ród herby. Ceramika istnieje zupe?nie na nie dzielna. Nawet po d?u?szym okresie bez ambarasu usuniesz wszelkie przejawy, trwa?o?ci? na czyn górnych temperatur bez dylematu do?wiadcza natomiast wysokie gor?czce, podczas gdy i te naprawd? niebeznadziejnego, liczn? odporno?ci? na niedoci?gni?cia automatycznego po tym zlewozmywak wolno kraja?! i nie ma objawów. faktycznie, bo bez liku podlega od chwili atramentu natomiast wyko?czenia zlewozmywaka. Atoli gdyby nie masz deskorolce u do?u grabul?, w tym miejscu bez obaw mo?esz r?ba?.

Aplikacje na androida

Kolesie spo?ród mojego miasta owo wie?niaki. Pal? d?ointy po k?tach, w weekendy upijaj? si?. Nie ma nawet spo?ród kim, ani o czym gada? po pró?nicy. Jak pójdziesz z takim do wyrka, to pó?niej pó? budy wie, którego gacie dysponowa?aby? oraz azali? istnia?aby? ogolona. Ka?muki natomiast tak wiele – mówi bez ogródek Weronika.

Wi?kszo?? jej kole?anek aplikacja mobilna osobisty najwi?kszej rangi niepowodzenie ma aktualnie w ?rodku sob? oraz aplikacja mobilna wi?ksza cz??? postrada?a j? nie spo?ród horrendalnej pasji, jakkolwiek na balangi, po menelu. Ona zakocha?a si? poni?ej koniec gimnazjum. S?u??cy by? dalszy, ni? nieca?kowici. Ceni?by czyta?, podlega?by nie ale wr?cz hop hopu, jakkolwiek podobnie kompozytory konkretnej. Jego rodzice s? lekarzami oraz bodaj by?o po przed, ?e czerpie z arystokracji. Atoli og?osi? Weronice, ?e bodaj?e pójdzie do seminarium. Poró?ni? jej tym czerwie?. Weronika nie domniemywa, i? jeszcze kiedy? si? zakocha.

Podczas gdy macierzy i?? a? do ?o?a z którym? z tych upalonych g?upoli, owo natychmiast ochot? podkablowa? cnot? – deklamuje Weronika.

Joanna, psycholog, literatka ksi??ki „”Psychologiczne przejawy prostytucji” mówi, i? zapocz?tkowanie p?ciowa jest nadzwyczaj wa?na. Zupa intymne do?wiadczenia maj? wp?yw na dzia?alno?? w zwi?zkach natomiast budowanie drogich gaw?dy w przysz?o?ci. – Mówienie: “podkablowa?abym czysto??, ali?ci nico si? takiego nie sta?o” umieszczony podniet? racjonalizacji prowadzenia, jakkolwiek tak?e samooszukiwaniem si?. Na poziomie dobrowolnym istniejemy w stanie co niemiara materii siebie wyeksplikowa?, ali?ci takie do?wiadczenia wp?ywaj? na nasze egzystencja z pod?wiadomo?ci. Zdo?aj? one rodzi? neurozami, chandr?, ans? do afektu. Nie wiecznie b?dziemy znaliby odszuka? ?ród?o ambarasów. W wirtualne biuro warszawa takich kondycjach cz?stokro? nale?yta ma miejsce w psychoterapia – ba?aka Joanna Sztobryn-Giercuszkiewicz.

Weronika cnot? wyceni?a na siódemka tys. grandnova.pl – wairtualne biuro warszawa z?otych. Czerpie spo?ród ciasnego miasteczka blisko Warszawy. Ma 16 latek a fantazjuje, i? ongi? zamieszka w metropolii. Chce egzystowa? projektantk? mody, chce posiada? finanse natomiast ucz?szcza? na salonach jak celebrytki z jej ukochanego plotkarskiego portalu. W Warszawie by?a kilka bicie z rodzicielami i duet razy na wycieczkach nieedukacyjnych. Rodziciele nie dopuszczaj? jej emitowa? si? abstrahuj?c od miasteczko bez kontroli, swoje córeczce podtrzymuj? w kilku s?owach (Weronika ma dwa leci m?odsz? mniszk?). I j? holuje w “wielki ?wiat”. Dwaj baty przeg?osowa?a si? spo?ród kole?ank? a? do Warszawy. Potr?ci?yby si? metrem, po?azi?y po sklepach, posiedzia?y w kafejki natomiast wróci?y. Mama nic nie zna. Pracuje na przesy?ce a cz?sto funkcj? kompletuje o 20. Tata wtr?ca si? w o?wiata córek, jak odbieraj? z?e diagnozy. Wówczas ustanawia szlaban na celi i rozwi?zania.

Weronika okrzykn??aby si? na jednym z portali natomiast wyczekuje na oferty. Ale rezerwuje, i? tablica sucho?cieralna jeszcze nie jest jacy?, b?d? na niechybnie sprzeda niewinno??. Troch? si? boi, i? ch?op b?dzie nieestetyczny b?d? j? byle zby? potraktuje. Dlatego coraz si? zastanawia. W ci?gu miesi?ca skontaktowa?o si? z ni? dwóch kandydatów. Niejaki chcia? da? 3 tys. z?, ergo si? nie zgodzi?a, natomiast drugi chichota?, ergo stwierdzi?a, ?e zadzwoni? w celu humorów. Coraz tablice multimedialne nie wie, dok?d chcia?aby zadzia? cnot?, prawdopodobnie w niejakim hotelu, ale w jej ciasnym gnie?dzie wszyscy o nieca?kowitych komplet m?dro?ci?, skutkiem tego mo?e k?dy? w Warszawie.

COOL KID CONNOR: Meet Connor Wilson – USA’s Youngest Traditionally Published Author!

 

Recently I had the honour to review a fantastic book, A Giant Pencil, by young author Connor Wilson. By young I mean way younger than my 17 when a traditional publisher published my first fiction. Connor was just 8 years old when he sat down to write his first book, A Giant Pencil, and finished it at age 9. The book was released before his 12th birthday, making Connor the youngest, traditionally published fiction writer in America. Awesome, right? And Connor  has agreed to share this amazing chapter of his young life in my Guest Interview! Isn’t that  exciting?

Read on. Note: this interview has American spelling when Connor is speaking, and Australian spelling when I am.

 

 

Guest interview: CONNOR WILSON

 

Connor Wilson. USA’s Youngest Traditionally Published Author

 

Ia: Connor, w ould you be so kind to give readers a one-sentence synopsis of A Giant Pencil?

Connor: A GIANT PENCIL is a children’s book about a kid who finds a giant, magic pencil that allows him to erase his problems, but also teaches him about how important his friends and family are.

Sorry, that was kind of a long sentence!

Ia: It’s imaginative, and it has depth  :)

Who or what inspired you to write this book, Connor? When did you first know you just had to write?

Connor: My Dad is a writer and he definitely inspired me to write a book. He also is the one who made me believe I could do it. There wasn’t a certain time that I decided to write, really. I have kind of always loved to make up stories, even when I was just a little kid. I used to write out pictures in notebook and tell stories about them to my dad. In school, whenever we have to write a story, the teacher would usually use mine as an example, which I really hate because it’s so embarrassing. It did kind of teach me that I am pretty good at writing, though.

Ia: You certainly are!

How long did it take you to write the book?

Connor: It took me about three months. I would write it in my notebook and work for maybe an hour a few days a week.

Ia: How did you come up with the title?

Connor: I don’t know. The story is sort of about this magic giant pencil so it kind of made since. I actually called it THE GIANT PENCIL but for some reason the publisher changed THE to A.

Ia: What is your favorite line in the book?

Connor: Wow, that’s kind of a hard question. Maybe my favorite was the last one I wrote because that was when I was, like, “Wow, I wrote a book!”

Ia: Who would you say have been the most influential authors in your life? What strikes you about their work?

Connor: I really like all of Jeff Kinney’s DIARY OF A WIMPY KID books. He writes about being a kid. I figured, since I like to write, maybe I could write about being a kid really well—since I am a kid!

Ia: How has your published work affected teachers’ and friends’ attitude towards you? Are you fussed at more than other kids?

Connor: Well, there was a bunch of articles in the school newsletter. All my friends were really cool about it, but to me it was kind of embarrassing. There were a few kids early this year that treated me differently because I had been on TV and in the papers and everything, but it didn’t last long. My friends are still the same friends and nothing really is changed. We don’t talk about it. Mostly we just talk about sports and skateboarding and stuff. My teachers kept telling me how proud they were of me, but now it has pretty much died down. The school is really cool about when I have to miss school for a book signing or an interview or whatever. Most days, it’s no different than before I wrote a book.

Ia: What story would you like to share about the joy, challenge, or hardship of writing?

Connor: Well, I think most people could write a book if they really want to. Especially kids, because I think we have lots more imagination than some adults. Or maybe we just use our imagination more or something. I guess the big thing is if you want to do it, just do it and don’t give up. Writing is great fun. It’s the editing that is hard.

Ia: I think most people could write, but it takes talent and determination to reach the finish line. Who gives you the most encouragement?

 

On a TV interview. Connor Wilson, author of A GIANT PENCIL, with Dad, Jeffrey Wilson, author of THE DONOR

 

Connor: My Dad probably gives me the most encouragement, but I think it’s because he is a writer and kind of gets what it’s all about. My whole family encourages me and tells me they are proud.

Ia: They must be.

And what are you working on right now? Tell us your latest news.

Connor: Right now I’m working on a new book about starting middle school. It’s about the funny things that happen, and getting used to not being in elementary school—things like that. There are a few friends who have these school adventures and things. I hope it will be the first book in a series of chapter books, for kids in middle school.

Ia: Do you see writing as a future career?

Connor: It’s kind of hard to say because I’m only 12. I don’t really know what other job I might have when I grow up, but I know I will always be a writer no matter what else I do.

 

Ia: About you. How much do you have in common with Billy?

Connor: I think most kids feel picked on when they are little, like in elementary school, like Billy is. Most people have days when they would like to just erase the things that make them feel bad, so I guess I’ve had days like that.

Ia: What are your hobbies?

 

Connor on skateboard, his favorite hobby.

 

Connor: I love to play basketball and I’m on the junior varsity basketball team for my school. I love video games and would play all day on weekends if my parents would let me (which they don’t—maybe I should erase them  :) ). My favorite thing in the world is skateboarding. I love to ride at home with friends or spend a few hours at the skate park shredding it up. It was really cool that one of my magazine articles put a picture of me skating. I spend a lot of time playing with my little brother and sister.

Ia: With the  worries about starting middle school, studying for tests, finishing your projects and trying not to kill yourself on your skateboard, when do you find the time to write?

Connor: It has been really hard to write this year, because middle school is way harder than elementary school. I have found time to outline my new book and stuff when I’m not studying for tests. I write some on the weekends. I’ll do a lot more over thanksgiving and Christmas break, but it is really harder this time around.

Ia: Good luck with that.

Now, tell us a bit about Jack and Emma, your little brother and sister.

Connor: Jack and Emma are total, crazy freaks! They are five (Jack) and four (Emma) and they NEVER stop wanting to play.

Ia: And you must have indulged them. You’re the world’s best brother, I hear. Good on you, Connor! Now tell us one important thing that you’d like readers to know about you.

Connor: I guess mostly that I’m just like every other twelve-year-old kid. I totally get what being a kid is like and I try to write about that, especially in the book I’m working on now.

Ia:  Brilliant. You also know your strength and you care about what others want.

Do you realize that you are a good role model for other kids? What advice do you have for them on reading and/or writing?

Connor: I guess so. I never really thought about it. I’m just doing something I really like to do. I guess my advice is if there is something you want to do, try your hardest and you can do it!

Ia: Thank you, Connor. You will inspire many young readers. When I was about your age, I read about a 15-year old who won a writing contest. His interview still inspires me.

 

Now fun questions to your fictional character,  Billy:

Ia: Hey Billy, does cereal shaped like teddy bears taste better?

Billy: No, not when your brothers and sisters tease you!

Ia: Wanna make these? Tell us if good-looking vegies taste better.

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/397269_505453346146255_235059138_n.jpg

Ia: How real is Jimmy Barton? Do you think bullies like him should be sent to Connor’s next stories?

Connor: I know some real bullies. Maybe something funny will happen to them in my new book

Ia: Haha. Nobody will get injured, I hope

 

Now in middle school, Connor lives in Southwest Florida with his family. When not skateboarding, playing video games, playing with his little brother and sister, or doing homework, he is hard at work on his next book. And he reviews children books too! Connor is a book reviewer at his website and at BookPleasures. His are reviews from a kid for other kids—since he is a kid and knows what intrigues young minds.

Find out more about cool kid Connor from these links:

www.thegiantpencil.com

http://www.magicdreamspublishing.com/AGP.html

 

 

 

CONNOR’S BOOK:

 

 

Book Title: A Giant Pencil

Author: Connor Wilson

Illustrator:  Alyssa Machette

ISBN: 978-1937148126

Publisher: Magic Dreams Publishing (August 11, 2012)

Shop: Amazon and Barnes and Noble

52 pages, $12.03

My review:  5.0 out of 5 stars There Is No True Joy, When There’s No-One To Share, October 22, 2012 By Ia Uaro (Sydney, NSW, Australia) This review is from: A Giant Pencil (Paperback)

“This remarkable story hits me right on the mark, and could have been written specifically for me. Alas, Connor Wilson wasn’t around to tell me when I was 13, embarking on a journey that would take me away forever, from my family and friends, from my home and all that I knew.

A GIANT PENCIL is Billy’s story. Young Billy is not happy. He gets picked on and fussed at by his family and friends all the time, every day. One afternoon, when he is in trouble at the Principal’s office, he sees an object falling from the sky into the woods. It turns out to be a giant pencil that is visible only to Billy.

Billy discovers that the pencil gives him the power to erase every annoying person around him–which means everybody. He has so much fun deleting his family and the whole school. He plays video games, eats junk food, and nobody fusses that he doesn’t do his duties.

But all too soon, he learns that family and friends matter a great deal to him.

Written for 7 to 12-year-old readers, A Giant Pencil is so much more than just an entertaining read because it reminds every one of the importance of family and friends. It will amaze you no end that this fascinating read—well written, deftly plotted, and well-structured—was produced by an 8-year-old author. Watch out for his future work!”

 

 

 

THE SCREENWRITER’S ROADMAP: The Straight Path for Future Screenwriters

 

THE SCREENWRITER’S ROADMAP: 21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Story, 

Reviewed by Ia Uaro of Bookpleasures.com

Author: Neil Landau

Publisher: Focal Press

ISBN: 978-0-240-82060-6 (pbk):  ISBN: 978-0-240-82063-7 (ebk)

 

The straight path for future screenwriters

 

 

THE SCREENWITER’S ROADMAP aims to minimize floundering, stumbling and flailing by new screenwriters. Each chapter systematically guides screenwriting students on a specific topic, and continues with a relevant interview of this topic’s expert to help readers envision the scope. An assignment is given to allow readers explore the viability of the suggested ideas.

An experienced professor in screenwriting with many successful screenplays to his name, Neil Landau states on the outset that there is no absolute formula when it comes to writing a successful screenplay. This is illustrated by the differing responses of the successful screenwriters he interviews. Landau’s questions are incisive and straightforward, yet at times he receives lengthy roundabout replies.

Simplistic readers may object to the full quotes in several interviews and wonder why they have not been simplified. The truth, I conclude, is that simplistic people have no business screenwriting. There are various aspects and layers you need to look into and must never neglect or belittle. Brilliance, I see, is a prerequisite. And brilliant students will have no problems discerning these experts’ answers, which, in the first place, are there not because Mr. Landau is not in a position to edit direct quotes, but because they are necessary. I found them not only helpful, but enjoyable, in fact. You get to look into various heads and learn how the fascinating minds work, while at the same time see these admirable individuals for the persons they are. For me, this is a delightful bonus. Here is one example,

“I gather and gather and gather and gather and just build all kinds of ridiculous piles of paper and speeches and extraneous things that will never make the movie. And, just build and build and build until it just gets to some blister point where it can’t go on any longer. All that indulgence. You have to hang on to some things as your career goes on. You have to hang on to indulgence and whatever passes for childlike wonder and innocence and confidence. But, the one thing you must get is that there has to be an extremely brutal part of yourself which is just unforgiving. So, at a certain point, you turn into the evil proctor of the story, and whatever doesn’t want to be there, just disappears. To me, the real mark of an amateur is when you give someone a note on something to have them say, “Do you know how long I worked on that?” And, you want to just go, “Really?” Because I’ve thrown away years of work. In fact, it should actually get to the point where it feels incredibly cleansing and uplifting to throw things away. I’m never happier than when I’m cutting stuff out when I find stuff I don’t need. Better than getting it, was throwing it away.”

The human aspects, intriguing insights, and tips from real-life experiences are parts that no reader will ever find when they google Screenwriting 101. THE SCREENWRITER’S ROADMAP is unique and is so much more than your usual lessons in writing techniques, which, here, are easy to follow and clearly outlined in details.

Will following the book’s 21 chapters jumpstart new screenwriters to the expert level? Not overnight because that requires practice. However, the mapped road is certain to take them there along the straight path.

 

Neil Landau is a successful screenwriter, producer, and professor of screenwriting. His works include The Graduate, American Beauty, Network, Paper Moon, Annie Hall, Rosemary’s Baby, The Apartment, Cabaret, Taxi Driver, and Tootsie.

 

 

 

SO I RELEASED MY BABY`

 

“She should be easier to live with now,” my longtime friend told my husband. “Now that she‘s delivered her baby.”

“She better be,” my daughter piped in.

Ha! This is only the beginning of a new chapter… I don’t have the heart to tell them that, but I do plan to spend more time with my family. Apparently a female writer has to be a super mum, and I do miss my family. Tomorrow we are going to the Blue Mountains. We will do some trekking. And of course it’s September, spring in Aussieland, so I’ll be taking pics in Leura too… even when my daughter has said she’ll scream if I take another one.

I will update this entry later. For now I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has been with me from the start in every way.

 

 

 

 

 

SYDNEY’S SONG – The Next Big Thing

 

I’ve been tagged to answer ten questions about my current current WIP (Work In Progress) by these two lovely lady writers:

 

Ui Poznansky – the author of “Apart from Love” and the upcoming “Home” o

      Ui Poznansky  of  http://uviart.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-next-big-thing.html

 

And Susan Taitel – ABNA’s semi-finalist of the hilarious “Random Act of Nudity”, an upcoming YA –not and an adult novel, of  http://susantaitel.com/week-14-the-next-big-thing-blog-hop/

 

First visit their marvelous blogs, and then read the following. Thank you.

 

Currently I have three WIS – Works In Suspension. My WIP, the one I’m still working on is the soon-to-be-released SYDNEY’S SONG.  It is still my WIP, as I’m currently occupied in learning about post-release steps. Following are my answers to the Ten Interview Questions in this blog-hopping, The Next Big Thing:

 

 

[image error]

A love story no reader will ever forget…

 

 

What is the working title of your book?

SYDNEY’S SONG

 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Life experiences. My life has always been very, very eventful—either things happen or I go out to make things happen. I shuffle these true experiences like a deck of cards. I arrange the cards like a beautiful fan. I glue them together with fiction.

For example, on the day I decided to write, an old uni friend posted an ancient pic on Facebook. It was of our group singing by a lake, together with an Australian friend from Beecroft. She had come all the way across the ocean to be with me, so distraught by her parents’ recent divorce. When I was busy during the day, I left her with my music-playing friends. They looked after her very well and she ended up having a wonderful holiday.

 

What genre does your book fall under?

Real-life socio fiction. Fiction/Humorous. Self-help/motivational.

 

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Mia Wasikowska for Sydney:

Before her parents’ divorce: http://img1.bdbphotos.com/images/orig/w/b/wbzs4i8g6g7pzb47.jpg

Alone in a foreign land:

http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/mia-wasikowska-picture-10451050.htm

 

I can’t quite find an actor to play Pete yet, but  Andrew Garfield can play Ettore:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2372835840/nm1940449

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Grounded firmly in suburban settings where heartbreaks are juxtaposed with humour, a beautiful love story amid tragedies showcasing a young girl’s courageous journey to adulthood.

 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I met a critic who liked my work, and soon after a retired über agent praised it but advised that traditional publishers only take mainstream work. This made me look into indie publishing.

Today’s self-publishing authors have full control on the final product. A friend celebrates the freedom of unrestricted word count in her epic fantasy. Another finds delights in mixing his poetry and prose. And I appreciate the freedom to illustrate my work my way. The result isn’t just a beautiful story, but a beautiful-looking beautiful story. The rare, unique hardcopy will delight readers who are lovers of arts.

 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Three delightful months.

 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

None from the recent books. SYDNEY’S SONG is complex without being complicated. A vivid portrayal of the people of Sydney, this is similar to the ancient Pepys Diary; however, its subtle depiction of modern workplace slavery is close to Max Havelaar. The book contains true stories of love and survival.

 

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

The first half, friends I used to work with, once upon a time. The second half, hubby.

 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Tragically humorous, SYDNEY’S SONG will entertain readers of any genre who occasionally want something different in their bookshelves.

 

Now hop over to the following blogs and meet these fantastic talents:

 

Hattie Gunter

                                   Hattie Gunter of http://thevoveva.blogspot.ca/

 

Hart Johnson,
blogger extraordinaire

                      Hart Johnson of http://www.waterytart23.blogspot.com.au/

 

And,

Ey Wade, athor of “The Fishing Trip”

                                  Ey Wade of http://wade-inpublishing.blogspot.com.au/

 

(Awaiting confirmation from a few more bloggers)

 

 

 

 

MELYNDA’S LABOR DAY BLOGFEST AND BOOK FAIR

Sign up to join a Labor Day Blogfest and Book Fair. Sunday September 2nd -Tuesday the 4th. (Some free eBooks included!)In honor of Melynda Fleury–who has bravely been fighting diabetes and almost completely lost her eyesight–Wayman Publishing is offering unlimited free downloads of their top ten bestselling books to all entrants during this event! 


In addition, we’re featuring some phenomenal books you should check out AND giving away X-amount of Cash (announced after Blogger signups completed).

Other bloggers can join in for this great opportunity to gain new traffic. We’re excited to spread the word about some fantastic authors and Wayman Publishing; we hope you’ll join us for this fun event.

Feel free to grab this button:

The first links to enter are free with the agreement that you will post the button and information about this giveaway on your site. Any additional links will be $3 for Social Network links and $5 for RSS/Email Subscriptions.

SYDNEY’S SONG’S ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH. YOU’RE INVITED!

 

 

I would invite you all to celebrate my book launch with me. Why? Because I’d love to share my joy with the world. SYDNEY’S SONG is a delightful novel for readers of any genre who occasionally want something different. Check it out and come celebrate with me ONLINE!

Jump in to SYDNEY’S SONG’s Book Launch. Register your attendance early and you’ll be in the draw to win one of 100 Large-Print copies for your local libraries. I’ll be rolling out the programme and a new excerpt every day, and of course, answering YOUR questions. Visit regularly for updates, and stay tuned for more exciting news. And oh, any actor or talented prose reader out there? Come participate in my Excerpt-Reading Competition! 

 

 

SYDNEY’S SONG will be available in ebook, paperback, and large-print paperback. But you don’t have to buy my book, though I’m sure it will bring smiles to your hearts. Just celebrate with me, get to know me and my work.

 

 

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

 

AN UNDEFEATABLE HEROINE…

Olympic fever runs high in the Australian summer of 1999 and 17-year-old Sydney has caught it. Little does she know taking a holiday job in the beehive that is the Olympics’ public-transport call centre will be life altering. Shaken by her parents’ divorce, the sheltered Aussie is further plagued by abusive callers, obnoxious government agencies, constrictive office rules, and liberated friends. She is trying to negotiate these challenges as her own personal Olympics when Pete finds her.

A HERO TO LIVE FOR…

Pete, Boston’s former child prodigy whose soothing voice floats across her workstation, sees through Sydney’s tough outer shell. Pete knows what it takes to present a dignified front when all you want to do is howl at the moon. Treating their friendship like an art, he invests time and creative effort to pull Sydney out of her despair.

A LOVE NO READER WILL EVER FORGET…

Tragedy strikes when an accident leaves Pete with a major brain injury in a Boston hospital. When the going gets very, very tough, will you abandon the one who’s promised to love you until he dies? What if YOU are the one who became disabled?

A TRUE STORY…

Set in Sydney and Boston where heartbreaks are juxtaposed with Sydney’s sense of humour, SYDNEY’S SONG is a young girl’s courageous journey to adulthood. A work of fiction based on real events, this novel with an Australian accent also shows the world that living with disabilities does not prevent a person from attaining happiness.

PART OF SYDNEY’S SONG’S PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE BRAIN FOUNDATION

 

EXCERPTS

 

Read the OPENING CHAPTER and more on  my website but here’s an excerpt:

“To Pokolbin Prison, please,” requested a woman in a very weak, barely audible low voice I could well relate to. A vision came to me of a gaunt, sickly, very depressed lady.

I worked out her travel plan. She had to catch a bus, two trains, and a bus again, for a three-hour journey. Then she asked, “How much would it cost for a pensioner and a three-year old?”

Tears gathered in my eyes. A poor young mother with a young child trying to visit her worthless husband at Christmas!

And she was not alone. “To John Moroney Prison, please,” said a miserable mother.

“To Silverwater Correction Centre, please.” A sad girlfriend.

“To Long Bay Jail, please.” A wretched daughter.

Long-suffering souls requested travel plans for Lithgow Jail, Parklea Jail, Goulburn Jail – you name it.

Come to think of it, there was hardly a male caller wanting to visit a female prisoner. Either the men did not use public transport or they didn’t bother to visit. What did this tell you?

 

 

 

 

REVIEWS

 

Here are some of what the reviewers say:

UVI POZNANSKY:“I was too busy laughing and crying.”

MATT POSNER: “SYDNEY’S SONG demonstrates the way in which human beings can thrive under adversity using the power of their hearts and wills.”  

IRINA DUNN: “Intelligent, touching, interesting and funny.”

MARY METCALFE: “Haunting.” 

PHIL NORK: “The writing was superb, the story kept me interested and the ending touched me in ways most books don’t.”

NORMA FOWLER: “Riveting… a young woman who is very keenly perceptive in all people and situations about her.”

JACOB COATES: “A fantastic love story grounded  quite firmly in a suburban setting with real  characters.”

BRENDA FRANKLIN: ”Touches more than just the surface.”

 

 

 

If you are between the ages of 15 to 99, whoever you are, wherever you are,

you are cordially invited to attend and celebrate with The United Friends of Ia

Did I tell you that I have fans from three decades ago still treasuring my first novel in their goodreads shelves? They hunted me down, asking me to write again… Here’s hoping 200 years from now, SYDNEY’S SONG will still be read. And loved.

COMPASSION and LENDWITHCARE

 

 

“I shall pass this way but once

therefore

any good that I can do,

or any kindness that I can show,

let me do it now!

for I shall not pass this way again.”

 

A version of that was written by a thirteenth-century Courtenay ancestor, Edward, Earl of Devon. Many people love this poem. I don’t know what they do with their love, but my protagonist says love is more than just a feeling. Love is a drive, a force to act! Many hearts are moved when they see sufferings.

 

 

GRANDPA

 

My maternal grandpa was born in 1900, in a very beautiful green village by a forest-covered majestic mountain. Close to the equator, it was sunny during the day; but at the village’s altitude of 6000 ft, it was very, very cold at night. Grandpa knew what cold was, because he came from a poor home.

Grandpa was an angry boy. He was way too smart for most of the people of his time. There was a school in the village, but he was forbidden to attend it. His father and uncles said he would grow up to work the fields like them, and do what they do because that’s what all the men do. Their people were strongly matriarchal. Women had been heads of the big houses for centuries. Only girls could inherit. Men? Men worked for them. Or moved away to other lands.

Seven-year-old  Grandpa had to work shepherding goats and lambs when his father and uncles were at work. Grandpa soon figured lamb and goats were too stupid to run away, so he spent his time peeping through a class-room window, because he was dying to learn to read.  One morning the teacher caught him, and told him he was allowed to sit in the classroom for free.

Young Grandpa was very proud. At school there was Grandma, a horrible, most annoying kid of his age who was already a landlady because her mother had died, poisoned by a rejected ex-suitor. Young Grandma used to make fun of Grandpa’s social status, telling him no matter how well he read and write, he would end up working the fields. They argued constantly. Once Grandpa’s family overheard that Grandpa had been attending school. Busted, Grandpa was banished to another mountain, far far away from home.

But nobody – nobody! – could stop Grandpa’s quest for learning. And when there’s a will, there’s a way…

Grown up, Grandpa returned to his home village, where he proceeded to send many kids to school. He was regularly seen talking to young food sellers in the market, asking them whether they’d like to study instead. If yes, he gave them scholarships. Grandpa assisted their parents financially in their business, so that these children didn’t have to work.  I’ve met school principals and scientists who owe him their education.

 

 

DAD

 

My father was born as the son of a well-off butcher. When he was eight, my paternal grandfather adopted a brand-new religious view, and this caused the whole town to boycott his business. Restaurants and retail shops conspired to place their orders as usual, pleaded to delay the payment, but in the long run refused to pay my grandfather the money they owed him altogether, unless he give up his new beliefs. And there was no such thing like law in that town.

In short order my grandfather’s business took a nosedive. The family lost several of their properties to pay the cattle suppliers, my grandfather became very ill, and the family fell into poverty.

Dad used to reminisce of how, before going to school, he had to sell breakfast food prepared by his mother. At the age of ten, a horrible incident happened. A tiny wall lizard, common in the tropics, had the audacity to jump into the food, but his mother—who was so tired looking after her sick husband and the whole family on her own—did not see it.

Dad ended up feeling SO embarrassed when he served the lizard to his most generous customer. Right away Dad left home to get to his married sister who lived a thousand miles away. This elder sister had been ignoring Dad’s letters from home about the change in their family circumstances, because she could not believe it. Dad collapsed at her door, starving after not eating at all during his three-day bus journey, saying, “Please help Mummy!”

 

Dad did not live long. But in the short time I was with him, I watched how he was constantly active helping the poor by setting up small businesses for them, although he himself was a busy accountant. He did not only talk about compassion. He acted.

 

MY ELDEST SON

My son visited me last February, right after his holiday in the Philippines, horrified by the poverty he witnessed there.

“There was this woman with a son about ten-year old. They were scourging food rubbish, looking for something to eat.  And people nearby just continued shopping, ignoring them! When I tried to help, my friend would not allow me to donate a lot of money, because these two would end up being robbed by the nearest crime gang.”

 

OTHER AUSTRALIANS 

Many hearts are touched by news of sufferings. A large number of Australians are regular supporters of various charities, and many more jump in to help disaster-relief efforts. Compassion knows no political or religious boundaries. In this global era of ours, we can support people in need easily.

 

 

 

Lendwithcare works in association established  to tackle poverty. By becoming a lender, you microfinance small businesses. The aim is to help those in needs help themselves, but you will be assured that your help will come to fruition, that your support will not go wasted. When you have successfully made a difference by eliminating one case of poverty, you can move your fund to a new project.

 

WHY I LEND via Lendwithcare

When I first heard of Lendwithcare, my first thought was, “Compassion.” My second thought was, “What a great idea!”

I had lost a large fund elsewhere last year, because I could not guide the people I lent the money to until they could stand on their own feet.  I did not have the expertise. I did not have the time, nor the means to monitor the businesses. How I wish I had known LendWithCare earlier!  While I still donate to others in need as gifts, I now lend via Lendwithcare, knowing my fund will continue to eliminate poverty and ease sufferings, one after another.

So how much is needed to lend?

As little as £ 15.

You can always add more of course. Save £ 1 a day, and in a fortnight you can support another project.

Speaking of savings… any smokers out there?

One of my best friends used to spend $600 a week for cigarettes between her and her husband—until cancer hit her.

Another friend lost her beloved husband to cancer, and they had a very beautiful ten-month-old baby! The kid can talk now, and is very adorable… sad that his father can’t see him.

Have I convinced any smokers yet?

Okay, last year my long-time friend and I attended a wedding party where many of our old friends were present. We couldn’t easily recognise some faces because they looked so oooold! We later discovered that those who looked old too soon were smokers.

Alright alright smokers, I’m ducking! Just remember before you purchase your next cigarettes, how much difference you can make in some poor household using your cigarette money.

 

 

Make a loan, change a life

PHIL NORK’S REVIEW OF SYDNEY’S SONG

 

 

After reading Sydney’s Song I have come to the conclusion that growing up, no matter where it takes place, isn’t an easy thing to do. Welcome to Sydney’s life. She is a typical Australian teenager … well sort of. When she comes home one day and her mother and father tell her they are getting a divorce, she can’t believe it. But they both have their separate lives already … and neither one includes the other. They have come to grips with it, but Sydney can’t.

Mum and Dad leave and seventeen-year-old Sydney has the house to herself and her trusty dog, Dimity. She gets a job answering phone calls about public transit. It is a boring and demeaning job, but she puts in her best effort and makes the best of it.

Sydney decides never to drink or do drugs, never to give herself to the beckoning of the boys interested in her, and never to fall in love. But those decisions get tested by the new group of friends she meets at her job. They don’t understand her, but they accept her.

Not to be a spoiler, Sydney does eventually meet a handsome American boy and they start to build a relationship together. He changes her mind about her feelings of wanting to be alone and they grow together. In fact, she decides she can’t live without him. But he has a secret back home … one that Sydney must face head-on. Who should she trust?

That’s as far as I will go. The twists and turns inside this book make the reading fairly easy. I found myself turning pages as fast as I could.

There is SO much more to this story, but I believe that you the reader should experience it for yourself. The morale is to listen to your heart and not always to those around you. Believe in something, anything, and then make it happen. Although some things in life don’t go as planned, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from your experiences, try new things and eventually still end up happy.

I give Sydney’s Song a 4-star rating. The writing was superb, the story kept me interested and the ending touched me in ways most books don’t. God works in mysterious ways sometimes, and this book proves it. I recommend this book to anyone, male or female, who is trying to find their way in this world. It is a reminder that life can work out if you just trust your insides and follow what you feel.

 

 

Phil Nork

Author of Misguided Sensitivity, Legends of The Lake, and You’re Never Alone
And coming soon Life Is a Balance … It’s Not Only About You.

website www.philipnork.com

follow me on facebook at www.facebook.com/authorPhilipNork

Real life fiction for real life people

Some readers love stories about werewolves, shape-shifters or science fiction … things that may never happen to them. I write about situations that CAN happen to you and maybe already have … or at least they’re ones you can relate to.